Anchoring device for tufting buttons



March 13, 1934.

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VIIIII Illlfl s. KATT 1,950,613 7' ANCHORING DEVICE FOR TUFTING BUTTONS Filed July-20, 1932 Patented Mar. 13, 1934 ANCHORING DEVICE FOR TUFTING BUTTONS Sam Katt, Sheboygan, Wis, assignor of one-third to Max Marsack, one-third to Nathan Marsack, and one-third to Sam Marsack, all of Sheboygan, Wis.

Application July 20, 1932, Serial No. 623,547

4 Claims.

The invention relates to tufting devices and more particularly it relates to tufting devices adapted to extend through and to connect the opposite covers of mattresses or cushions.

The use of tufting devices of the kind described is well known and they are provided to maintain the mattress or cushion at a predetermined normal thickness when unloaded and to prevent unequal expansion which would otherwise occur as a result of the resiliency of the filling material. Such devices generally comprise a cord extending through the mattress with a button secured at each end slightly compressing the mattress in a limited area surrounding the tufting. The mattress or cushion is compressed under the weight of an occupant and as a result the ends of the cord sometimes project through the mattress and permit the button to move away from its normal point of contact with the mattress cover. Upon removal of the compressive weight or pressure, the compressed portion expands and stretches the cords taut thereby pulling the buttons back to their original position of contact with the mattress cover. The movement of the cord in contact with the cover tends to cut the cover and wear or abrade the cord.

It has been the practice in some cases to provide eyelets in the covers arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the mattress through which the cords extend and against which the buttons abut. The cost of the eyelets and the time spent in installing them is considerable and the general practice is to omit the eyelets and to add the tuftings to the otherwise completed mattress by using a cord having a needle fastened on one end thereof and a button fastened on the other. The needle is pushed and pulled entirely through the mattress preferably starting from the underside. The cord is of such a length that in pulling the needle completely through the mattress until the attached end of the cord projects from the mattress, the button on the other end substantially compresses the mattress in the area immediately surrounding the cord. Anoth r button is then fastened to the projecting end of the cord, the needle is then disengaged from the cord and the resiliency of the mattress holds both buttons in contact with the mattress with the cord stretched taut and the areas immediately surrounding the ends of the cord slightly compressed. The described method of installation of the tufting can be performed by an unskilled person and permits a substantial saving of time,

labor and material over the method where eyelets are used but the cord remains in contact with the edge of the mattress cover surrounding the apertures formed by the needle and the above described sawing or cutting action frequently so enlarges the aperture in the cover as to permit the filling to project and in some cases permits the buttons to be pulled through the enlarged apertures and render the tuftings ineffective and unsightly. The sawing or cutting of the mattress cover is avoided by the use of eyelets but the cord becomes worn and weakened by abrasive contact with the eyelets. The cords are abraded by contact with the cover if eyelets are not used, and in either case the weakened cord occasionally breaks and becomes entirely useless.

An object of the invention is to provide improved tufting buttons and means for connecting the buttons with the ends of tufting cords.

Another object of the invention is the provision of novel means for anchoring the tufting buttons which means also prevents abrasive contact of the cords with the mattress cover or eyelets if such are used.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel tufting comprising a button, a cord, and means for fastening the button to the cord, said fastening means being adapted to hold the button in depressed contact with the mattress cover both when the mattress is compressed by a load and in the event the tufting cord is broken.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an improved tufting device which is simple, easily installed, inexpensive to manufacture and satisfactory for its intended purpose.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein given.

To this endmy invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts,

Fig. 1 is a sectional View through a fragmentary portion of a mattress equipped with tuftings embodying one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view to a larger scale of the preferred form of anchoring device shown in Fig.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a button adapted to be mounted on the anchoring device;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the button shown in Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an illustration of another form of anchoring device.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, a tufting device is illustrated in Fig. 1 as comprising an endless cord 11 having its ends connected with buttons 10 by means of an anchor device generally designated by the numeral 12. The tuftings are mounted at predetermined intervals on a mattress comprising a plurality of spaced apart inner springs 13. The top and bottom of the mattress comprises a layer of cotton batting or similar filling material 14 which is separated from the springs ,13 bylining sheets 16 and is covered by sheets 15 of any suitable fabric material. The length of the cord 11 and the end anchor devices 12 is such that the mattress is compressed slightly in a. limited area surrounding the buttons 10.

The buttons 10 each have a grommet like element or loop 18 by means of which the anchor device 12 is connected with the button. The anchor device 12 is formed from wire or similar material having sufiicient rigidity to retain its original shape and being sufliciently flexible to compress and follow the cord 11 through the pierced portion of the cover sheets 15 and the lining sheets 16. The intermediate portion of the anchor device provides a narrow U shaped member 19 with the end portions 20 inturned and extending back to intersect the stems of the U shaped member and provide oppositely diverging flexible detent members stopping short of the base of the member 19.

The detent members 20 each terminate in an inwardly projecting member 21 extending transversely to the stems of the U shaped member 19. The members 21 are shown as concave towards the base of the U shaped member 19 and are preferably formed in a manner that the projecting free end is in contact with the lining 16 for the position shown in Fig. 1. The endless cord 11 may be continuous or may be formed by tying the ends of a cord of proper length and is connected to the anchor devices 12 by looping the same over the detent members 20.

The tuftings are positioned in the mattress by securing one end of the cord 11 over a specially formed needle constructed to permit the needle to be easily detached from the cord in a manner well known in the art. The needle is not shown or described since it forms no part of the invention. An anchor device 12, having a button 10 mounted thereon having been fastened to the end of the cord 11 opposite to that to which the needle is attached, the needle is thrust through the mattress preferably from the underside. The mattress is sufliciently compressed that the end of the cord 11, to which the needle is attached, projects slightly through the mattress. A second anchor device 12 having a button 10 fastened thereon is fastened to the projecting end of the cord 11 following which the needle is detached from the cord and upon release of the pressure the mattress expands to its normal thickness thereby causing the cord to be stretched taut and leaving the areas immediately surrounding the buttons depressed substantially as shown in Fig. 1.

The U shaped members 19 are relatively narrow to permit them to follow the needle through the perforations in the mattress covers 15 and the lining sheets 16 and in so doing the divergent projecting detent members 20 and the stems of the member 19 are pressed inwardly from their fullline position to their dotted line position of Fig. 2. The detent members 20 terminate short of the base of the U shaped member 19 sufficiently that the end members 21 clear the inner lining 16 when the mattress is compressed by the pull on the cord by means of the needle. The

-members 20 having passed entirely through the inner lining 16 their resiliency moves them back to their normal divergent position corresponding to the full line position of Fig. 2. The length of the cord 11 is predetermined to permit the ends of the detent members 20 and the members 21 to contact with the adjacent lining sheets 16 when the cord is stretched taut by the expansion of the mattress following installation of the tufting. The resiliency of the filling material 14 holds the members 20 and 21 in contact with the lining sheet 16 and maintains the buttons 10 in depressed contact with the covers 19. Obviously, the anchor devices 12 at each end of the tufting element eliminates any possibility of the cords 11 protruding through the covers 15 when the mattress is loaded and avoids abrasive contact of the cord with the cover. In the event the cord 11 should be accidentally broken or severed, the anchor device 12 by reason of the contact of the members 21 with the lining 16, will hold the button 10 in close contact with the cover 15 and maintains the area surrounding the button in its normally depressed condition. The anchor devices 12 are easily mounted on the cord 11 in the manner described and the entire operation of installing the tufting devices can be quickly and satisfactorily performed by an unskilled person.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 5 wherein a button 23 is fastened to an anchor device 25 by means of a loop 24 on the button. The device 25 is also preferably formed from a wire having its intermediate portion shaped to provide an elongated U shaped member 26 with its end portions 27 turned outwardly and then rearwardly into intersecting relation with both stems of the U shaped member to provide detents that yield under pressure. The endless cord 11 has one end looped overthe projecting detent members 2'? as shown in Fig. 5. This embodiment of the invention is mounted on the mattress by means of a needle in the same manner as described for the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2. drawing the device through the needle perforations in the cover 15 and the casing 16, the open end of the member 26 and the projecting ends of the detent members 2'7 are pressed inwardly to permit the devices to follow the needle through the cloth. The extreme ends of the members 27 having been passed through the lining 16 again take their normal divergent positions with their ends in contact with the lining 16. The end of the cord 11 attached to the needle having been drawn through the opposite cover 15, an anchor device 25 having a button 23 mounted thereon is then engaged with the projecting end of the cord, the needle is detached and the last mentioned anchor device is drawn back through the cover 15 and the lining 16 where upon expansion of the mattress, the extreme ends of the detent members 27 are brought into contact with the lining 16. The buttons 23 on each end of the tufting are thereby held in normal depressed position on the mattress in the same manner as the device 12, regardless of whether the tuiting cord 11 remains intact or is. broken.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided an improved device for anchoring tufting buttons in contact with a mattress or cushion cover, said devices serving to anchor the buttons in position and to prevent projection of the cord through the mattress cover for all conditions of loading and regardless of whether the tufting; cord is broken or intact.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exactform, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses; mentioned.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by" Letters Patent is:

l. The combination with a mattress having an inner spring construction and top and bottom covers, each of said covers comprising an inner lining, a cover sheet and intermediate filling material, of a tufting comprising a pair of buttons positioned on opposite sides of the mattress, U shaped members each having one of the buttons mounted on its base portion, the stems of said U shaped members projecting inwardly a, substantial distance beyond said lining, the ends of said stems being turned back along the stems to provide outwardly diverging flexible detent members, the free ends of said detent members being in contact with said lining, and a cord having its ends fastened to the inwardly projecting stems of the oppositely positioned U shaped members.

2. The combination with a mattress having an inner spring construction and top and bottom covers, each of said covers comprising an inner lining, a cover sheet and intermediate filling material, of a tufting comprising a pair of buttons positioned in aligned relation on opposite sides of the mattress, U shaped members each having one of the buttons mounted on its base portion, the stems of said U shaped members projecting inwardly a substantial distance beyond said lining, the ends of said stems being turned back along the stems to provide outwardly diverging flexible detent members, the free ends of said detent members terminating in a transverse portion in contact with said lining, and a cord having its ends fastened to the inwardly projecting stems of the oppositely positioned U shaped members.

3. In a device of the kind described, a U- shaped member having a button mounted on its base portion, and a pair of detent members each forming a continuation of a stem of the U- shaped member, said detent members extending along said stems and terminating short of the base portion of the U-shaped member, the portion of the detent members adjacent their junction with said stems lying between said stems, the other extremities of the detent members lying outside of said stems and each terminating in an inwardly projecting lateral member.

4. In a device of the kind described, a U- shaped member having a button mounted on its base portion, and a pair of detent members each forming a continuation of a stem of the U- shaped member, said detent members extending along said stems and terminating short of the base portion of the U-shaped member, the portion of the detent members adjacent their junction with said stems lying between said stems,

the other extremities of the detent members lying entirely outside of said stems, said extremities each terminating in an inwardly projecting curved lateral member concave towards the base of the U-shaped member with its free end in substantial alignment with the points of connection of said lateral members with the detent members.

SAM KATT. 

